Gluten-Free Golden Snitch Cake

Melinda created this delicious gluten-free Golden Snitch cake in celebration of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter’s birthdays back in July 2013. In the books, Mrs. Weasley bakes Harry a similar cake for his 17th birthday.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the yogurt and honey together until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Add the water (or coffee) and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until well incorporated.

Allow to cool in the bowls for at least 10 minutes before sliding an offset spatula (or knife) around edges to release, turning out onto a plate. Allow to cool completely before wrapping tightly in plastic wrap/foil and placing in the freezer for 2 hours (or overnight) to set.

Butterscotch Frosting

Bring a saucepan filled with two inches of water to a simmer. Place the egg whites and sugar into a heat-proof mixer bowl, and place above the water. Whisk the sugar and egg whites until warm to the touch and the sugar is dissolved.

Place the bowl back on the mixer stand, and whisk on medium-high speed until you have stiff, glossy peaks and the mixture is cool, about 10 minutes.

Reduce speed to medium-low, and add the butter, one piece at a time, mixing until fully incorporated between each piece. If it appears curdled at this point, keep mixing until it becomes smooth again. Add the vanilla, butterscotch schnapps, and salt, and mix until well combined. Add the yellow food coloring, mixing until you reach your desired golden color.

Switch to the paddle attachment and beat for about 2 minutes to remove air bubbles.

Wings

Print out the template, and cut out each wing.

On the back of the scrapbook paper (where there is no print/design), trace the wings, writing side up. Flip each of the wings over, writing side down, and trace again. Cut out the four wing pieces. They will be double-sided.

Line up the wings so they are double-sided, making sure they line up evenly. Set one wing with the inside facing you, and place a lollipop stick at the inner corner (the lollipop stick should have about half sticking out of the paper). Hot glue the lollipop stick in place.

Line the edges of the same wing with hot glue, and then match it up with the other piece, gluing them together. Cut off any overlap/visible glue chunks. Repeat with the other wing.

Assembly

Remove the cake layers from the freezer and unwrap.

On a 6-inch cake board (you can cut it even smaller, about 3 inches in diameter, so it fits the bottom of the cake) on a turntable (for ease of frosting), place the bottom cake layer flat side down. Put a dollop of frosting on the top (round side), and coat the entire top evenly using an offset spatula. Once frosted, gently flip the layer over, round side down, making the bottom of the cake.

Place a dollop of frosting on the top of the bottom layer (the flat side) for the filling, smoothing to the edges with an offset spatula. Place the top layer, flat side down, on top of the bottom layer.

Place another dollop of frosting on the top layer (round side), spreading a thin layer of frosting all over, filling in any gaps between the two layers, for the crumb coat. It doesn't need to be perfectly round at this point; you can shape later. Just make sure all of the crumbs are sealed in.

Place in the refrigerator to set for about 20 minutes.

Once set, poke the wings gently into the sides (not going all the way in) to mark their place. Outline all of the Snitch designs gently with a toothpick, wiping away any excess frosting that scrapes off.

Place the extra frosting into a piping bag with a Wilton #3 round tip attached (or any tip good for writing), and trace the outlines you created. You can easily smooth any mistakes over and redo.

Insert the wings into the sides, pushing them in until the lollipop sticks are no longer seen.